Called “The Pour Over”, this daily newsletter claims to be politically neutral, a rare thing in the American media landscape.
Facts, just facts, promises the author of this newsletter. Jason Woodruff, the son of a pastor, says he had the idea of The Pour Overa reference to the coffee one drinks in the morning while reading the news of the day, after obtaining his MBA degree: he was tired of the bias of the American media and their too clear political orientation.
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And his editorial line is simple: Christians are not defined by their political opinions, but by their love for others, according to him. While waiting to start his first internship, he therefore wrote a newsletter as a hobby. He sent his first email in May 2018 to six friends summarizing the day’s news from a Christian perspective. Little by little, the newsletter was more and more followed to the point of becoming his main occupation.
A politically neutral article, but with a religious message
Thus, today, the three “TPOs”, the acronym for The Pour Over, weeklies would attract 230,000 readers. They are also available as a podcast, followed by 50,000 people and on an Instagram account with more than 115,000 subscribers. But Jason Woodruff insists: he is not a theologian and his newsletter is not a church to come to seek wisdom.
Moreover, the format of this one shows it: it reads quickly, in five to ten minutes. It starts with a quote of the day, not necessarily from the Bible, but the religious dimension is there all the same. Three news items follow in the category “shot of espresso“. The article is never very long, no more than 1,000 characters, but each article is followed by a short paragraph on the Christian perspective. Example: telling the reader after an article on elections that a political affiliation never exceeds allegiance to Christ, commentary accompanied by a very short excerpt from the Bible Or, after the quarterly results published by a company, the newsletter mentions that the ups and downs of the stock market, although important , do not count as much as God. It will also insist to the readers on the importance of loving one’s neighbor if it speaks of violence in a part of the world. The letter also contains a few briefs and cites most of its sources for those who would like to go further.
As for the key question of the impartiality of content, Jason Woodruff assures us: the contributors are Democrats and Republicans alike. They generally consult each other before publication to ensure that the content remains as objective as possible. The goal is to be politically impartial, but whether they like it or not, certain subjects dear to Christians – opposition to abortion in the lead – are part of the Republican catalog today. But there is no desire to make the buzz or especially to be anxiety-provoking, which is often criticized in the media here in the United States or elsewhere. The letter also does not choose current topics solely on their connection to religion. Its authors, not necessarily professional journalists, readily admit that they could be wrong. Changing your mind is not hypocrisy, they say, just learning.